Unlucky
by Tempest P. J. Stormbringer
Summary: When Carlisle finds a little girl outside the hospital, he decides to take her home. How will a five-year-old cope in a house of vampires? Pre-Twilight.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: **When Carlisle finds a little girl outside the hospital, he decides to take her home. How will a five-year-old cope in a house of vampires? Pre-Twilight.

**Author's Note: **To start off, I am not a huge fan of the Twilight series, but I have read the books and enjoyed them. The movies, in my opinion, do not do the series justice. Sorry, that's just my opinion. Anyway, I've had this idea floating around my head for a while and it wouldn't leave me alone. So I decided to go with it and see where it lead. Now, I have written one fanfic before, posted it on here, then thought it was crap and took it down. I regret those actions, but regret deleting it from my files even more. Message of the day: DO NOT DELETE YOUR STORIES, PEOPLE! Yeah…so…I will try my best not to have any mistakes in this story, but hey, we're all human. If you wanna be my Beta, PM me. I'm hoping this story will go all the way through Breaking Dawn, Lord willing. Other than that, on with the story!

**Disclaimer: **I. Am. Not. Stephanie. Meyer. Any recognizable characters belong to her. By the way, sorry if Carlisle seems a little creeper-ish. I was just trying to portray him as friendly, but it may be overdone.

oOo

It was raining. Mallory hated the rain. It was cold and wet. She shivered as a raindrop found its way into her too small coat and slid down her neck. She huddled against the brick wall of the alley. Maybe it was a bad idea to run away from home. _No_, she contradicted herself firmly. Anything was better than staying there, including the rain. Ever since her mother died three years ago from acute myeloid leukemia, her father had turned to drinking his sorrow away. That, and blaming Mallory for the world's problems.

"You know what your name means?" he had asked her once. "It means unlucky. And you are. Before you came along, I was happy. I had everything I could ever dream of having. Then you came along and ruined everything."

The five-year-old girl had teared up at that. But she wouldn't cry. Crying never solved anything. Every time she cried, her father just sneered at her, calling her stupid, worthless, and most of all, unlucky.

Mallory shook her head to clear it of the memory. She ran away earlier that morning, taking with her only her most important possessions: her teddy bear she'd had since birth and a framed picture of her mother. Mallory didn't remember her mother very well, as she was only three when she had died. But her mother looked a lot like her with the same honey blonde hair and blue-gray eyes. The little girl hadn't gotten far, though, until she realized how hopeless her efforts were. She didn't have any food or extra clothing. She didn't even know her way around town. She was utterly and hopelessly lost.

Sniffling, she exited the alley. In front of her was a large gray building. Hoping for a meal and maybe some place to dry off, she trudged across the street, only to nearly collide with handsome young man.

"Hello there. Are you lost?" he asked.

Mallory looked up at him. He had had blonde hair and strange golden eyes. Deciding she could trust him, she answered, "A little bit."

"Why don't you come inside and I can call your parents?" he offered.

"No!" Mallory immediately replied. He looked confused. "I…I mean…that's okay. I think I know my way home now."

"Are you sure?"

Mallory nodded.

"Because if you're not, I can drive you home or you can come to my house and dry off."

Mallory looked up. "Really?"

"Sure," the man replied. "My family would be delighted to have you over."

"Okay," Mallory agreed.

"Excellent," the man smiled. "I am Dr. Carlisle Cullen, but you may call me Carlisle."

"I think I'll stick with Dr. Cullen," Mallory said. "I'm Mallory Jackson."

"Pleasure to meet you, Mallory," Dr. Cullen said.

oOo

"We have company!" Alice declared as she traipsed down the stairs.

"Who?" Esme asked from the couch.

"A little girl Carlisle found outside the hospital," the physic answered.

Edward raised an eyebrow. "Is he crazy?"

"Of course he is," Rosalie scoffed, following Alice. "He's Carlisle."

"Be nice," Alice reprimanded. "They're here!"

Carlisle entered the house, followed by a little girl. "Hello, everyone."

Greetings were returned. Alice skipped over to the girl. "Hi!"

Mallory looked at her warily. "Um…hi."

"Everyone, this is Mallory. Mallory, this is my wife, Esme, and our children, Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, Alice, and Edward," Carlisle introduced everyone.

Rosalie, not to be outdone by Alice, went over to Mallory. "Let's get you dried off."

Esme got up too. "Are you hungry, dear?"

"Yes, ma'am," Mallory replied.

"What can I make for you?"

"Anything is fine," she said.

"Are you sure?" Esme asked.

Mallory nodded before she was taken upstairs by Rosalie and Alice.

Esme frowned. "She's very polite, but quiet."

Carlisle glanced over at Edward. "What was she thinking?"

"A lot of things," Edward replied. "Mostly how nice we were, offering to feed her and take care of her. Unlike her father. Apparently, he's been a drunk ever since her mother died."

"Poor thing," Esme breathed and went to the kitchen to make the girl something to eat.

"How is she feeling?" Carlisle questioned Jasper.

"A bit overwhelmed, but grateful," he answered.

"How long will she be here?" Emmett asked, eager to have another little sister.

Carlisle shrugged. "As long as she wants to stay, I suppose. It seems she is in need of a good home and I can't turn that down."

"It'll be dangerous," Jasper warned.

"I know," Carlisle sighed. "We'll just have to wait and see."

Mallory came down the stairs then, with Rosalie and Alice behind her. Rosalie had washed her up and Alice had let her borrow some clothes of hers. Everything was way too small, so the pixie-like vampire had quickly hemmed everything for the little girl.

"I made you some chicken noodle soup, Mallory," Esme announced, setting a steaming bowl on the table.

"Thank you, Mrs. Cullen. It looks good," Mallory replied.

"You're very welcome, dear," Esme smiled.

Mallory quickly downed her soup and was feeling very sleepy, due to the hot meal and Jasper calming the environment. This time Carlisle took her upstairs to a spare room they had. Mallory fell asleep quickly, feeling a small sense of happiness she hadn't felt since her mother's death.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **Thank you for all the reviews and alerts! I really appreciate it. I'm on spring break this week, so hopefully there will be a lot of chapters up this week. I hope the story isn't going too fast. Please tell me if it is. One warning for this chapter, it has a lot of Alice in it.

**Disclaimer: **Any recognizable characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. No, that is not me. Oh, I think I might have accidentally put a line in here from Twilight. I don't own it. Volturi plushies to anyone who finds it!

oOo

Mallory woke the next morning feeling confused. Where was she? Oh, that's right. She was at the Cullens' house. The previous day came rushing back to her: running away, being found by Dr. Cullen, and meeting the rest of the Cullens. As she thought about the doctor and the his golden-eyed family, she couldn't help but feel there was something odd going on. Whatever it was, she didn't know and probably would never find out. The Cullens were nice people, but wouldn't want to keep her, would they? They'd probably send her back home. After all, she was unlucky.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Mallory said.

Dr. Cullen walked in. "Good morning. How do you feel?"

"Good morning," Mallory returned. "I feel fine."

"Would you like some breakfast?" Dr. Cullen asked.

"Yes, thank you," she replied. She threw the covers off and followed the doctor downstairs. She was surprised to see everyone already up, since it was only eight o'clock.

Alice stood up and danced over to Mallory. "Good morning, Mallory. Did you have a good sleep? Dream anything? Would you want to go shopping today?"

Mallory blinked, not sure which question to answer first.

"Alice, calm down," Jasper chuckled.

Rosalie stood too. "Let her get some breakfast first." The blonde turned to the little girl. "What would you like?"

"Um…cereal?" It came out more like a question than a reply.

Rosalie took her hand and led her to the kitchen, where she got out a box of cereal and milk. She poured the cereal into the bowl, then the milk, and set it on the table. "There you go."

"Thank you," Mallory said and gobbled up her breakfast. When she was done, Alice practically dragged her back upstairs to get dressed. The black-haired vampire dove into her closet, pulled out a handful of clothes, and shoved them at Mallory.

"Here you go. I think you'll really like these. Today we can go to the mall and get you your own."

"Why?" Mallory asked.

"So you have clothes that actually fit, silly," Alice answered.

"But aren't you guys gonna send me back home?"

Alice looked at her questioningly. "Why don't you want to go back home?"

Mallory looked at the floor. "Daddy says I'm worthless and unlucky. He says he'd be happy if I wasn't around. I want him to be happy. He hasn't been happy since Mommy died."

"You go get changed, and I'll talk to Carlisle, okay?" Alice suggested.

"Okay," Mallory agreed and went to her room to change.

Alice zoomed down the stairs to the living room where the others were sitting in silence. "Well, I'm sure you guys heard that. She can't go back. She should stay here. I've already seen it."

Rosalie shook her head. "It's too dangerous."

"But you already like her," Edward said.

"Of course I do," Rosalie snapped. "But it's dangerous."

"Going back to her father is dangerous too," Esme whispered.

"I vote she stays here!" boomed Emmett.

"If she stays, we'd have to move," Jasper reminded them. "The townsfolk would know she wasn't ours."

"We were going to move anyway," Alice said.

"I don't want to move again," Rosalie whined. "I just got done with high school."

"So it's the perfect time to move," Alice put in.

"What do you think, Carlisle?" Esme asked.

Carlisle sighed. "I'd hate to send her back. But Rose is right, it's dangerous. However, if Alice has already seen it…"

"Yes!" both Alice and Emmett shouted. Rosalie rolled her eyes.

"I'll go tell her," Alice announced.

"Don't overwhelm her," Jasper called after her. "She's already confused and frightened."

Alice heard him and nodded. She stopped in front of Mallory's door. "Are you done?" she asked.

Mallory opened the door. She was wearing a pair of Alice's jean capris (which were like jeans on her) and a short-sleeved blouse.

"Aw, you're adorable!" Alice squealed. "I talked to Carlisle and he said you could stay!"

Mallory's face lit up. "Really? Oh, thank you!" She hugged Alice around the waist, then let go, embarrassed. "Sorry," she mumbled.

Alice promptly hugged her back. "For what? I love hugs!"

"Then you're welcome?"

Alice laughed. "Come on, the mall awaits!" She pulled Mallory downstairs. "We're going to the mall. Anyone want to come?"

Rosalie rolled her eyes. Edward and Emmett declined. Carlisle said he had to go to work. Esme said she had stuff to do. Jasper was the unfortunate one whom Alice dragged along despite saying he didn't want to.

"You can hold our bags!" Alice chirped.

"Oh, joy," Jasper muttered.

Mallory giggled. "Does she do this a lot?"

"You have no idea," Jasper sighed.

oOo

Once at the mall, Alice wasted no time in finding Mallory's size and pulling clothes off the rack.

"Um…Alice? I don't think I can pay for these. I have no money," Mallory tried to explain.

Alice just smiled. "I don't expect you to pay for them. I will."

"You don't need to do that…"

"Of course I do! You're staying with us now, so it's our job to take care of you. That includes clothing," Alice replied.

Mallory stared at the ground, her eyes tearing up at that. Her father never seemed to think like that. He always said she was a waste of space and never deserved that stuff. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up. It was Jasper.

"I know how you feel. But you _are _worth it."

"How can you be sure?" Mallory asked, uncertain despite the confidence invading her system.

"Because every child deserves love," he answered assuringly. He removed his hand from her shoulder just as Alice came back, arms full of clothes and beaming. She led Mallory to a dressing room.

"Need any help?" she asked.

"Um…I don't think so," Mallory replied.

"Alright. Call if you need anything. Jasper and I will be right out here."

Mallory closed the door and locked it, then turned to the massive pile of clothes. She tried them all on and, at Alice's request, showed them all to her. In the end, the physic insisted she get all of them. Mallory was reluctant though. It would be a lot of money. But no one argues with Alice, and she learned that.

"You'll be the cutest of all wherever you go," Alice said as they exited the mall. It was now around noon and when they arrived back at the Cullens' house, Mallory found a sandwich and a glass of milk waiting on the kitchen table.

"Thank you, Mrs. Cullen," Mallory called into the living room.

Dr. Cullen sat down across from Mallory. "Mallory, since you don't want to return to home, how would you like it if Esme and I became your guardians?"

Mallory practically choked on her sandwich. "Seriously?"

Dr. Cullen nodded, looking faintly amused.

"That'd be great! But…why?"

"Why what?" Dr. Cullen asked, now confused.

"Why would you guys want to be my guardians? You just met me," Mallory said.

Dr. Cullen sighed. "Your mother was one of my patients. First, when she was pregnant with you and again when she had cancer. I'm very sorry I couldn't save her. I know I can never make it up to her or you, but I thought perhaps I could do something in her memory. What do you say?"

He was answered by a little blonde-haired girl suddenly hugging him. "Yes! Thank you, Dr. Cullen!"

He hugged her back, chuckling. "You're very welcome."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **A special thanks is in order for all my lovely reviewers, amazing story alerters, and awesome favoriters. No, favoriter is not a word, but I love you all in the most non-disturbing way possible. You guys really keep me writing.

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Twilight, the Volturi would rule the world and I would be a Cullen. Thus, I do not own Twilight. *sob* Forgive me, this chapter is late and short. I had difficulty with it, and I'm not sure why. You can probably expect another chapter this weekend sometime. Hopefully it'll be longer.

oOo

Carlisle left to fetch the guardianship papers while Mallory finished her lunch. He came back with Esme at his side. The three of them filled out the papers together.

"Now it's official. We're your guardians," Carlisle said as he signed the last line.

The Cullen kids entered the kitchen. Emmett scooped Mallory up in his arms and tossed her over his shoulder. "Time for the initiation!"

"Initiation?" Mallory repeated, wide-eyed.

"For you to be a Cullen!" Emmett explained.

"Emmett, don't scare her," Esme chided.

"Alright, fine. No initiation."

"Why don't you guys go outside?" Carlisle suggested.

"Last one out is a rotten egg!" Emmett declared and ran outside.

"I worry about him sometimes," Rosalie muttered as the rest of them followed.

"He is quite eccentric," Mallory commented.

"Eccentric? Where do you get these words from?" Jasper chuckled.

"I read," Mallory said.

"Have you even started kindergarten?" Edward asked in surprise.

"I will this fall," Mallory declared with an mixture of pride and excitement in her voice. But it fell a little as she continued. "Mom used to read to me and point out letters and words. After she…I just sort of taught myself to read."

"Impressive," Rosalie complimented, to Mallory's shock.

"Thanks."

Once outside, the Cullen kids showed Mallory the woods, warning her about certain plants and the occasional animal. There was a little lake farther back, but it was very pretty. Reeds bordered most of it, with a few weeping willows trailing their long branches into the water. The water itself was still and surprisingly clear, reflecting the cloud-obscured sky perfectly. A little dock stretched out onto the water. It was all perfectly tranquil.

Mallory walked out onto the dock. "It's so quiet," she observed aloud. So quiet that when Emmett suddenly came up behind her, it startled her. Everything happened very quickly then, yet in slow motion. Alice gasped, her eyes wide. Mallory felt herself falling, falling towards the clear water. _Splash._ She was under. Water filled her lungs as she gasped. She didn't know how to swim. Her consciousness was waning. Darkness crept at the corners of her eyes, threatening to overwhelm her. There was another splash beside her and strong arms wrapped around her torso. She was dragged onto the dock. People were talking above her in quick whispers as someone worked to get the water out of her.

"…not breathing…!"

"…get Carlisle…"

Mallory wasn't sure what happened next, for the darkness had indeed overwhelmed her.

oOo

When Mallory opened her eyes, she found she was lying on carpet. Looking around, she realized she was in the Cullens' living room. Carlisle was crouching over a black bag near her. Esme was just behind him. The others were standing by the doorway. Mallory noticed that Edward had towel in his hands that he had been using to dry his messy hair.

"Mallory!" Alice cried joyfully and ran to hug her. Everyone turned to look at her.

"How are you feeling?" Carlisle asked, immediately slipping into doctor mode.

Mallory had to swallow before she could answer. "I'm fine," she rasped. Jasper shot into the kitchen and returned a second later with a glass of water. "Thank you." He merely nodded. She took a few sips of water, then put it down, suddenly feeling tired.

"Rosalie, would you take Mallory to her room? She's had a long day," Carlisle said softly.

Rosalie led Mallory upstairs to her bedroom. She changed quickly and got into bed. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

oOo

This time, when Mallory woke, she knew exactly where she was. It was odd how comforting her room in the Cullen house had become. Pale dawn light was seeping in through the windows. Yet she could hear people moving around. Surely no one was awake at this hour? Mallory threw off the bed covers and got dressed. When she went into the hall, all was silent, except for the soft sound of music coming from downstairs. She went downstairs to see what it was.

It was Edward playing the grand piano. Mallory watched, fascinated. His hands flowed over the keys like water, his body swayed gently to the music. It was lovely. The music slowed to a halt gracefully.

"That was beautiful," Mallory whispered.

Edward smiled. "Thank you."

"Actually, I should be thanking you," Mallory said. "For saving my life."

"You're welcome," Edward replied, then asked, "You don't know how to swim?"

Mallory shook her head and looked at the ground. "But I'd like to learn."

"When it's warmer, I'll teach you," Edward promised.

Taking a chance, Mallory asked, "Would you teach me piano too?"

Edward beamed. "If you'd like to learn."

Mallory nodded. "I would."

"Sit down," Edward said, patting the bench next to him.

Grinning, Mallory did. She was beginning to feel at home in the Cullens' house.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: **In this chapter, there's a time jump. I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself. The main part of the story will probably be throughout the Twilight series, so it was necessary. If you want me to write some one-shots of what happened in between time jumps (because believe me, there will probably be more), just say so in a review. As always, reviews are highly appreciated.

**Disclaimer: **Twilight is not mine. Mallory is. Don't sue me.

oOo

A few months had passed since the lake incident. Mallory had settled in comfortably with the Cullens and had even gotten around to calling Carlisle and Esme by their names instead of Dr. and Mrs. Cullen. She was still being taught piano by Edward, and loved it. During the summer, the Cullen kids helped her learn how to swim. In the fall, she had started kindergarten. Now it was spring, and Jasper had promised Mallory he would teach her how to ride the bicycle she'd received from Alice that past Christmas.

That morning, Alice had skipped down the stairs grinning. "Something wonderful is going to happen today!" she sang.

"There's a sale at your favorite store?" Emmett guessed.

Alice rolled her eyes and didn't reply.

Rosalie walked in. "Who wants to go hu-" she paused, having spotted Mallory, and continued, "Hiking? Who wants to go hiking?"

"Oh, I will!" Emmett said loudly. "Maybe we'll spot a grizzly." He winked at Rosalie, who slapped him upside the head.

"I'll come too," Esme offered. The three of them grabbed their hiking boots and left. Mallory had gotten used to these random hiking trips. The Cullens were outdoorsy people, even when it was raining cats and dogs.

Mallory finished her cereal, placed her bowl in the sink, and turned to Jasper. "Ready?" she asked eagerly.

Jasper smiled at her eagerness. "Ready when you are."

Mallory practically dragged Jasper out to the garage where her bike was. It was her favorite color, green, with black handle bars. Rosalie had already taken off the training wheels. Jasper pulled the bike out and Mallory got on.

"You'll be behind me, right?" Mallory questioned, suddenly nervous.

"Always," Jasper replied.

Taking a deep breath, Mallory pushed down on the pedal. The bike wobbled, but she steadied it by pushing down on the other. After that, it was easy. Jasper jogged behind her as she pedaled down the driveway.

Then came the turn.

Mallory had turned on a bike before, but that was with training wheels. This was different. She turned the handle bars slightly, but the bike tilted, and suddenly she was on the ground. It hadn't hurt, but she scraped up her knee. A bit of blood oozed from the cut. Mallory winced. "Ouch," she muttered, and looked up at Jasper.

He was standing very still, eyes wide. He bared his teeth and an unearthly snarl ripped from his throat.

"J-Jasper?" Mallory whispered.

Jasper lunged at her.

"NO!! JASPER, STOP!" Alice screamed as she slammed into him. It sounded like thunder. Edward appeared out of no where, trying to hold the frenzied vampire back. Mallory got up and tried to back away slowly. Jasper growled viciously at her, teeth snapping, eyes blazing with an unquenchable thirst. He broke free of Edward and Alice's hold, charging straight at Mallory. She had no time to move, frightened as she was.

There was a sudden wind and Mallory found herself swept up in Carlisle's arms. The doctor's own eyes blazed, not with thirst, but protectiveness. Jasper was still growling, but was now being held back by both Edward and Emmett, who had returned unexpectedly with Rosalie and Esme. The three women were crouched in front of Jasper, growling also. Confused and shocked by these sudden events, Mallory turned to Carlisle. "Daddy?"

Everyone froze, including Mallory, who just realized what she said. She immediately flushed with embarrassment.

Jasper dropped his defensive crouch. Looking horrified at himself, he turned tail and ran into the woods. Alice and Edward followed him.

Emmett dutifully picked up the bike and returned it to its place in the garage. He glanced at Rosalie, and both of them headed into the woods also, but in the opposite direction of Jasper.

Mallory was left alone with Carlisle and Esme. The doctor carried her into the house at human speed and set her down on the living room couch.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Mallory nodded.

"Jasper didn't hurt you?"

This time, Mallory shook her head. She bit her lip, and looked up at Carlisle. "Was Jasper mad at me?" she asked in a whisper.

Carlisle sighed. He knew this day would come – when one of them lost control. He just hadn't expected it so soon, as all of them had been doing so well. He glanced at Esme and she nodded encouragingly before slipping into the kitchen. He turned back to Mallory. Sitting down beside her, he began, "Jasper is not mad at you. He just…had a lapse in his control." At Mallory's confused expression, he explained, "You see, we aren't like other people. We aren't human." He paused, letting that sink in.

Mallory looked at him warily. "Then what are you?"

"We are vampires."

In a flash, Mallory had leapt up in surprise and fright. "What?!"

Carlisle stood too. "But we don't drink human blood. We're vegetarian, for lack of a better word."

"Vegetarian?" Mallory repeated, confused again.

"Yes. Instead of drinking human blood, we drink animal's blood. This is why our eyes are gold, not red."

Mallory seemed to relax a little at that. "So that's why Jasper went…crazy? Because I fell?" Mallory questioned.

Carlisle nodded. "Speaking of that, I'll get a bandage for your knee." He zipped off to the bathroom, returning a second later with a Band-Aid and Neosporin.

As he rinsed the cut and applied the Neosporin, Mallory asked, "How do you stand it? You're a doctor. That means you're around blood a lot."

"I've had a lot of experience," Carlisle replied, smiling a bit. "Years and years of it."

Mallory frowned. "How many years?"

"Let me show you." Carlisle led her upstairs to his study. It was one part of the house that Mallory had never been in. She looked around in awe.

"Wow."

Carlisle chuckled and walked over to a wall covered in paintings. He picked Mallory up so she could see better. "See this?" he asked, pointing to the Waggoner. "This is a painting of London in the sixteen-fifties. The London of my youth."

"Sixteen-fifties?" Mallory echoed in an amazed voice. "But you hardly look thirty, let alone three-hundred!"

"Vampire venom stops aging," Carlisle explained. "I was twenty-three when I was changed, thus I still look twenty-three."

"And the others?"

Carlisle went on to explain how he created Edward, Esme, Rosalie, and Emmet, and how Alice and Jasper had found their way to the Cullens. How they hunted, how they couldn't go out in sunlight, how they had to move every few years so to not arouse suspicion, how Edward, Alice, and Jasper had gifts. When he finished, Mallory looked up at him with wide blue eyes.

"Da – Carlisle, can I be a vampire?" she asked.

Carlisle sat down on his desk chair with Mallory on his lap. "First of all, you're allowed to call me Dad or Daddy. I don't mind. Esme wouldn't mind if you called her Mom either. Secondly, no, you can't be a vampire. At least not now."

Mallory looked hurt. "Why not? I want to be with you guys forever."

Carlisle smiled at her. "As do I. But you see, there are laws for vampires."

"Vampires have laws?"

"Yes, and that includes laws about immortal children," Carlisle replied, and explained everything that had happened in years past with immortal children and the Volturi.

"Oh," was all Mallory said at the end. "So I could be a vampire when I'm older?"

"We'll see," Carlisle murmured and looked up at the door. "I think you siblings are home."

_Siblings, _Mallory thought with glee. _I have siblings!_

Mallory and Carlisle made their way downstairs slowly. Everyone was there. Esme was waiting at the bottom of the staircase. Rosalie and Emmett were standing at the doorway, having just came in. Jasper was sitting on the couch with his head in his hands. Edward and Alice stood beside him. Alice was grinning as she looked at Mallory, while Edward was barely suppressing a smile. Both had heard the previous conversation, Alice through a vision, and Edward through her mind.

Alice immediately engulfed Mallory in a hug. "I have a little sister!" she exclaimed.

Everyone followed suit, except Jasper. He looked guiltily at the floor as Mallory approached him. "I'm sorry, Mallory," he said quietly. "So very sorry. I should've controlled myself better. You must think I'm a monster."

"It's alright, I'm fine. No one's perfect, not even vampires," Mallory replied. With that, she hugged him tightly, taking Jasper by surprise. The vampires around him stiffened, but he simply smiled and returned the embrace.

"See," Alice said smugly. "I told you something wonderful would happen today."


End file.
